Shih Chung Branch School

Of recent, I am having a keen interest in withered old buidings that had seen glory in old days. Last year, I was brought to a decayed building along Northam Road just before Transfer Road, Penang. It was introduced to me as “Shih Chung Branch School”.

Shih Chung Branch School

The Anglo-Chinese building was the first five-storey residence in Penang built in the 1880s by Cheah Tek Soon (after whom Tek Soon Street). The building later served as the premises of the P’i Joo Girls’ School, the Government Girls’ School and then the Shih Chung Branch School. In 2000, Shih Chung Branch School was relocated to another area leaving the building to decay with time.

The vast compound of the building has now been turned to a parking area for buses and vans. It was Saturday and we were all by ourselves exploring the abandoned Shih Chung Branch School. I was scared a little, but eager to take some shots of the building which has the reputation of being haunted.

The wall where the name of the school was painted faded through the yellowish paint with splattered of black dots all over. On the left side of the main entrance, a huge tree has outgrown the entrance and tree branches protrude from the roofs. It has the seeming effect of a haunted house from a movie.

The barricade tape is sealed around the house cautioning danger for potential trespassers.

Crossing over the barricade tape, we entered the haunted Shih Chung Branch School. Apart from the chirping birds and clicking sounds of camera, the building looks as if it has suffered first-degree arson. Planks and rusty nails scatter on the ground. Grasses grow tall and various long-stemmed woody vines fall from the top. From the inside, we could see the skies for only the frames of the rooftops left.

The conditions of the building are not such that allow us to remain inside for as long as we would want. At any time, the planks or woods may injure us. I, too, do not fancy sighting ghosts of any kind. We leave the building not knowing how long it will survive through time.